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What is ELearning?
Let’s talk about “What is
E-Learning?” E-Learning is learning that can take place
anytime and anywhere, whether the delivery is online or
offline, CD or DVD. Some of terms you may be familiar
with are CBT and WBT, computer-based training and
web-based training respectively. E-Learning allows your
users to learn at their own pace, no pressure or time
restraints, no time away from their daily job tasks, and
no costly traveling expenses.
Users can stop, pause, rewind,
fast forward and much more in CBT. CBT is usually output
in Flash or HTML on a server(i.e. Intranet), LMS, or
the Internet. WBT allows the user
to have a “live” instructor guide them through the
process as well as allowing them to demonstrate the
skills they just learned in various exercises. Some of
the platforms used for WBT are WebEx and Breeze.
How do
YOU Learn?
Most people tend to retain more
data with visuals when learning, rather than paragraphs
of black text on a white background.
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Are you the type of learner who
enjoys learning a new system application with a
brightly colored user guide with screenshots,
callouts and arrows?
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Do you need to have a live person guide you through
the process step-by-step in the classroom
environment?
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Or maybe you like self-paced learning and enjoy
going through interactive tutorials online with
audio and animation?
Pictures, color, and graphics are
definitely more captivating then black and white text,
but are you retaining more information? Statistics show
that this is actually true. Dr. Ruth Clark actually
believes that a balance of white space and
graphics/images on the page significantly improve
learner retention rates.
If you are implementing a new training plan for your
organization be sure to find out how your users/clients
or employees learn best. Call in a professional, such as
Graphik Connexions, for a needs analysis before you
throw away those hard earned Training and Development
dollars. E-Learning may be the way to go or perhaps a
simple job aide is all you need.
How do we Measure
our Learning?
There are many ways we can “measure
learning". We can initiate pre and post testing before
and after training. we can use interactive quizzes
multiple choice questions, case studies, and even
interactive games! Check out
Raptivity.com to view some
of the latest interactive measuring tools.
The point of measuring is not to
see if the learner can recite the definition of a term,
spew out a list of steps, or even put a sequence of
steps in the right order. The point of measuring is
whether or not the user can apply the knowledge they
have learned to their job. Interactive measurements or
activities should test the learner on specific tasks
that they need to know in order to do their job more
efficiently. Case Studies and role-playing reenacting
real work situations will empower the user to solve
problems and be a successful decision-maker in their job
role.
Be sure that your ELearning
Development provider gives you more than just a list of
multiple choice and true/false questions. Get the most
out of your ELearning by providing "Measurable" learning
to your users.
How
do you Evaluate?
You have an option when evaluating
ELearning...the first option is to have the users
complete a training evaluation at the end of the
learning module, which is built right into the module
itself.
The 2nd option is to
follow up with a written evaluation immediately after
the training and again 6 months later to see if the
knowledge was retained.
Evaluations can be focused on the
instructor/trainer (if applicable) or knowledge-based,
or perhaps even both. An example of this form of
evaluation is Post-testing. You can find out more about
pre and post testing at
http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/cookbook/info_pre_and_post/index.html.
Be sure you have the opportunity to
evaluate the learning with Your ELearning Provider. :-)
Article Corner...
Return-on-Investment
(ROI) from e-Learning, CBT and WBT
by Ron Kurtus (revised 12 October 2002)
Company management wants to see a measurable return
from the money spent on producing and delivering
e-Learning, CBT or WBT. They also may want to see a
comparison of the ROI for the e-Learning compared with
that for standard classroom training.
The ROI is calculated by comparing the development
cost of the e-Learning with a measurement of increased
productivity or contribution to the company bottom-line.
Questions you may have include:
- What is cost of creating e-Learning?
- What is the ROI advantage of e-Learning over
training?
- How do you calculate the ROI for e-Learning?
Example of ROI
Calculations
Assuming a traditional classroom training plan that
includes 500 trainees who each experience a week of
training, travel for half of them (250 employees), the
time constraint of a 3 month roll-out (5 trainers, 10
locations)-all compared to an equivalent e-Learning
scenario using very conservative assumptions, including
an opportunity cost rate of $400 per day.
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Classroom Training
|
e-Learning
|
|
Wages of Trainees ($20/hr,
burdened) |
$ 400,000 |
$ 240,000 |
|
Travel Costs (50% of
people traveling) |
$ 250,000 |
$ ---------- |
|
Trainer Wages |
$ 47,500 |
$ 11,400 |
|
Trainer Travel |
$ 20,000 |
$ ---------- |
|
Development Costs (custom
training) |
$ 160,000 |
$ 400,000 |
|
Delivery Systems (1st year
amortized) |
$ --------- |
$ 35,000 |
Totals
|
$877,500 |
$686,400 |
These figures indicate that the e-Learning approach,
given conservative assumptions, saves approximately 20%
in the first year of implementation. In the second and
later years when development costs are not a factor for
this course, the savings for e-Learning grows to nearly
50%. In addition, the CBT or WBT can be rolled out in
half the time, once developed.
Source:
http://www.school-for-champions.com/elearning/roi.htm
How E-Learning Can Increase ROI for
Training
By THINQ's Research Department
...E-Learning Minimizes Travel Costs
For years corporate America realized that travel and
entertainment (T&E) made up the bulk of their
training costs. As corporations become more global,
the cost of moving and housing employees can only
increase. But there is hope. Numerous studies have
shown that e-learning can cut the travel and
entertainment cost associated with training by at
least 50% ( Hall 1997). Other studies have shown
that if implemented properly these costs can be
reduced by at least 80% (Hemphill 1997).
E-Learning Minimizes Time Away from Work:
As stated above, Fletcher (1990) found that
computer-based training yielded time savings of
35-45% over traditional classroom instruction In
addition, Hall’s 1997 case study review found that
computer-based training required significantly less
time than instructor-lead training. His review
indicated that the reduction in time ranged form
20-80% with 40-60% being the most common time saved.
In fact compression of training time has the most
visible impact on ROI by not only providing savings
in wages spent on training but also a savings in
opportunity costs...
READ MORE
2008 Predictions
Return
on Investment
"Choosing and Implementing an e-Learning Solution",
A No Nonsense Guide From Wide Learning, pp. 8-9
"One of the key reasons for
implementing an e-learning solution is that it
provides a measurable return on the investment and a
measurable impact on the organisational bottom line.
However, in order to demonstrate this, the
implementing organisation needs to take three steps.
The first is to fully and adequately
cost delivering the same learning outcomes using
traditional classroom training methods. The costs
that need to be taken into account are the direct
costs of such training (hiring a trainer, hiring
external training premises and associated costs,
hotels and other costs of trainee attendance, etc)
and the indirect costs (administration costs of
setting up and managing the training programme, and
the indirect costs of internal trainers deployed as
part of the solution – this is particularly
important for professional services firms that might
deploy a fee owner (who is not a trained trainer) to
provide training), the lost productivity (consequent
upon staff being out of the office for a specified
period of time) and the problems associated with
dealing with those who were unable to attend at the
designated time, with the need for training new
starters, the uncertainty as to the real value of
the training and the absence of any hard evidence
that trainees have actually acquired the skills
and/or knowledge required. This data provides a
point of comparison for considering the cost
effectiveness of an e-learning solution.
The second is to accurately measure
the base skill/knowledge level of the universe of
trainees as well as the level of skill/knowledge
achieved as a consequence of the e-learning. This
can only be done where the e-learning programmes
come with a built in pre- and post-training test and
a reporting system that enables the employer to
track progress on an employee by employee basis as
they complete the training.
The third is to accurately cost the
indirect cost of deploying the e-learning solution.
These costs tend to be low but, when they are added
to the clearly stated costs of the external
e-learning solution, a complete cost for the project
can be established.
It is then possible to be clear
about the specific skill improvements that have been
achieved, and the cost of doing so. This data forms
the basis of further cost benefit improvements for
the organisation."
More
ideas on the Future of eLearning
| "Obviously nobody has
the exact answer to this
question, but it is an
important one to consider.
To start out, it is
important to look at many of
the trends related to
learning that are already
taking hold in our world.
Knowledge is expanding at
a tremendous rate. The
class graduating H.S. in the
year 2000 will be exposed to
more new information in one
year then their grandparents
were in a lifetime.
Memorizing facts will have a
much lower value, while
utilizing information for
analysis and decisions will
be a critical skill.
The typical worker will
have many distinct careers
in his or her lifetime.
Each of these careers will
require new knowledge and
skills. Lifelong learning
will be something that any
successful person must do to
compete. It will no longer
be worthwhile to learn
something with the hope that
it will be useful at some
time. Just-In-Time learning
that meets the needs of
individuals as they occur,
makes learning more
meaningful and effective.
The companies and careers
of the future will utilize
technologies that have not
even been conceived of
today. These technologies
will require a whole new set
of skills from the
workforce. Learning to use
the new technology will be
important, and so will using
those technologies to learn.
The world is shrinking
rapidly. The Internet has
brought the world together
in ways that nobody would
have expected. You can now
attend a college half way
around the world, with
students from any country
with Internet access.
People will telecommute to
their jobs more in the
future, while their
companies compete globally.
So what might learning
look like in the future?"
READ MORE |
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Additional E-Learning
Articles, Resources, & Tools:
e-Learning jobs
http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=elearning&l=
http://www.elearningpulse.com/jobs
e-Learning glossary
http://www.learningcircuits.org/glossary.html
10 Ways eLearning Can Help You on the Job
http://jobs.aol.com/article/onlinecampus/_a/10-ways-elearning-can-help-you-on-the/20061006151709990006
Leveraging Technology for
Improved Sales Performance
http://www.clomedia.com/content/templates/clo_article.asp?articleid=1213&zoneid=162
E-Learning: The Second Wave
http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/oct2002/taylor.html
Ruth Clark --
The Guru of Learning & Adult Learning Principles
"Aligning Training to your Business"
http://www.clarktraining.com/content/articles/AligningTrainingtoBusiness.pdf
Questionmark -- Authored Assessment Tool
http://www.questionmark.com/us/index.aspx
e-Learning Organizations
The eLearning Guild
ASTD (American Society for
Training and Development)
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